Just before the start of this interview, Vikram Baidyanath, CEO and president of the Baidyanath group, pulls out a little red box and offers up its gleaming contents. “It’s prasad, please have…I just went to the Mahalaxmi temple before coming here,” he explains.
One of the heirs to the largest Ayurvedic products empires in India, Vikram reveals he often goes through ‘ritualistic phases’. “Yes, I am quite spiritual and religious. In fact there are times when I go through phases when I am completely ritualistic — where I enjoy the rigmarole of going through the A-Z of whatever rituals are involved in carrying out a particular puja. I’ve also done the Art of Living course and I read a lot of spiritual books,” he says.
Tell him that this side is something that’s rarely highlighted — having been seen more on Delhi’s society pages and in fashion glossies, giving him a somewhat ‘wild party boy’ image, and Vikram says, “I never go beyond my second glass of wine — ever. And you’ll never see me anywhere beyond 1am!”
Having studied at the University of Leeds and the London School of Economics, Vikram says his business philosophy has always been: “Focus on quality. My grandfather believed in this, my father believes in this and I do too. Quality does all the talking. No amount of celebrity endorsements or multimedia advertisements can substitute for good quality,” he asserts.
And while he refuses to give in to that guilty pleasure of corporate India — the ever-beeping Blackberry, Vikram says he prefers spending his free time with charities like Khushii and his adopted daughter Neha. “Yes, I adopted her along with my mother. Neha’s family comes from the same village (in Kanpur) as my grandmother. She comes from a very impoverished family and we felt she seemed like someone who really needed an opportunity in life,” explains Vikram. “So, we took care of her and supported her — in fact, she lives with us. Today, she’s got a post-graduate degree and is working…she even has a boyfriend! So, she’s happy,” smiles Vikram.
